Ladies and Gentlemen: Launchers

I want to start this year off big, by announcing a feature that I’m incredibly proud of. In the post on November 15 about the Instant Developer Cloud automated testing system, I promised you that we’d be releasing interesting new features. Today I’m keeping my word. I am proud to present Launchers: the simple way to compile your application for Android and iOS.

Up to this point, with Instant Developer Cloud it has been possible to develop your application in the IDE and test it directly on your device, thanks to InstaLauncher. But how do you publish the actual app to the store? How do you compile it for Android or iOS using the native shell? Launchers are the answer you’re looking for.

A Launcher is a hybrid app, a native container based on Cordova that contains one or more Javascript applications developed with Instant Developer Cloud.

compile and download APKs and IPAs directly from the Instant Developer Cloud console

send the app directly to the stores

Thanks to a dedicated app-build server, all you need to do is use the APK creation button and/or the IPA creation button to quickly get the APK/IPA packages, ready for publication in the store, or publish directly on the beta channel with a few clicks.

With Launchers, you no longer need a PC or Mac configured to compile with Xcode/Java: simply connect to the console from any supported browser to distribute the new version of your app in the Google Play or Test Flight alpha channel.

But there’s more: a Launcher can automatically update its applications without needing to republish on the store. Simply use the console to compile a new version of the app. That’s it!